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I look at Rocco expectantly, watching his narrow face turn beet red under his big glasses.

“Wondering what?” I prompt, encouraging him to continue.

We’re standing in the middle of the school hallway, other students bustling around us.

I was just about to walk up to my selfie-covered locker door when Rocco came up and tapped me on the shoulder. I only know him from when we did a science lab together, so I was surprised. Now I’m curious on what he’s doing.

Rocco takes one deep breath and breathes out,

“I really like you.”

Then he attempts to rush away, but fails. He gets caught in the crowd of ninth-graders, and glances back at me nervously while I giggle at him. His face turns an even darker shade of scarlet, if that’s possible, and he shoves himself in between two girls.

The two girls happen to be my friends, who are twins. They look at Rocco’s disappearing back in annoyance, and then see me.

One of them, Tracey, asks,

“Hey, was he bothering you?”

“No,” I reply, “He actually just told me that he likes me.”

“He likes you?” the other one, Lacey, repeats in disgust, “But he’s such a nerd!”

“Yeah, I know right?” I shrug, “But I guess he is a nice guy.”

Both of them raise their eyebrows, and Tracey says,

“Girl, we need to talk. Popular peeps do not, repeat: do not date nerds. It’s just a fact of life.”

“Woah, woah,” I begin, “I wasn’t saying that I was going to date him. No way!”

They sigh with relief in unison. Lacey takes my arm in hers, and we attempt to move with the crowd of students rushing to their next class.

“You had me there girlfriend,” she says, “What would have happened if you were actually considering that geek?”

I nod in reply. I know I should feel disgusted, but for some reason a sense of excitement is beating in my chest.